Barcelona volunteers and environmental groups collected 28 kilograms of rubbish and 4,500 cigarette butts from Barceloneta beach on 7 June 2026. The clean-up, organised by the Centre de la Platja, marked World Oceans Day and aimed to raise public awareness about marine conservation.
Helena Barracó, from Barcelona City Council's Office of Climate Change and Sustainability, said public involvement is essential. She said people need to understand the value of the sea, the animals that live there, and its ecological role, so it is protected.
The initiative brought together the Network of Entities for Awareness and Waste Collection on the Barcelona Coast, known as XEAL, which carries out this work throughout the year. Cigarette butts were among the most common items found, even though Barceloneta is a smoke-free beach, and they are also one of the hardest types of waste to collect.
Carol Vargas, from the No more cigarette butts on the ground association, said enforcement is part of the answer. Laura Guzmán, from the For the Best World Foundation, said she was surprised by how many cigarette butts were still found after five years of taking part in group clean-ups.
Local resident Lina, who has lived in Barcelona for 17 years, joined the activity with her young daughter. She said her family uses the beach often in summer and that the beaches are getting dirtier each time. For more local coverage, see our news page.
Mireia Compte, from PlasticFREEWave, said larger waste was also found among the rocks, including clothing, food scraps and cans. Blanca Hernández said microplastics remain a problem in the sand. The rubbish collected was sorted into plastic, organic material, glass and paper before being weighed.
